Get a Chicago Card! We'll make more!!

Recently, someone on this blog asked me:

"How many people are using the Chicago Card? I read someplace recently it's not nearly the number the CTA has to sell."

As of April 2005, there are over 163,000 Chicago Card users, and we have been careful to order more because we want more and more customers to use the Card. The CTA offers two different options in its Chicago Card program: the Chicago Card and the Chicago Card Plus (http://chicago-card.com/). At some locations, that amounts to 1 in 5 customers, but we would like that to be closer to 4 in 5 customers as more and more people realize how much easier (and faster) travel on public transit can be when using the Chicago Card.

You’ve probably seen a customer zip past the bus operator or blow through the turnstile by quickly swiping her wallet against the electronic reader. That speed translates into faster bus performance (less time waiting at lights) and reduced financial processing costs.

Both Cards offer:

• Fare bonus: a 10% bonus on fare purchases. Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus are the only CTA fare payment options that provide this bonus. Under the plan adopted by the board in April, the bonus will require a $20 minimum after July 17^th, up from $10 today.

• Quicker Boarding: to board a bus or enter through a rail station turnstile, simply touch your Chicago Card to the touchpad on the front of rail station turnstiles and bus fareboxes on all CTA and Pace buses.

• Protected Fares: If your Chicago Card is lost, stolen or damaged, a replacement card will be issued and the balance remaining on the card at the time CTA was notified of the loss or damage will be available to you.

Unlike the regular Card, the Chicago Card Plus is a farecard with its balance kept in an online account. This allows Card Plus users to have the additional benefits of:

• Fare Choices: choose between pay-per-use fare payment, where full fares and transfers are deducted from your online account each time you ride, or 30-Day Passes, which provide unlimited rides for 30 consecutive days beginning with the first ride taken using your Card Plus.
• Online Reloading: pay-per-use customers will have their accounts automatically reloaded each time their account value falls below $10. Accounts will be reloaded with the customer's pre-selected reload amounts.

Both Cards save the CTA money by reducing the load time for passengers on buses and reducing administrative costs associated with collecting and retrieving cash fares. That is why we’ve created two new incentives for riders to use the Card by:

• Waiving the $5 one-time purchase fee through July 31, 2005; and
• Keeping fares for Card users at $1.75 after July 17^th while cash fares will increase to $2.00 (pending General Assembly action, of course).

Not to mention the fact that everyone will ask you about it as you zip through the turnstile.